📔 Jeff’s Diary (yes, I’ll let you read it)

I finally get the pain of being a content creator. I spend an hour writing a thoughtful post that took me 15 years of real world experience to fine tune the strategy on, to only have 200 strangers read it and one fine gentleman in Bangalore have the decency to click “like”. No comments. No repost. Just a single “this is worth a pointer finger flex”.

I’ve spent countless hours reading about content hooks and strategies that drive virality and I spend most days teaching others these best practices, but when I sit down and pour my heart and soul into something I want more people to hear, I simply cannot apply those same practices.

I’m tired of the same format and whatever structural writing style Claude thinks will go viral on LinkedIn. Fuck them. And listen, I know creators who reach millions by finding their “standing on a ladder shtick” or nail that same opening question that hooks people till the answer… but for me, I just can’t bring myself to it; and maybe you feel the same as you’re trying to make more content? Drive more reach?

I should be doing everything in my power to make OWM more famous. To let more people know it exists. To do the tactics that can make a coffee shop go viral and my neighbors dog a social celebrity with a million dollar kibbles n bits endorsement (FML). But somewhere deep down inside, I want to do it my way. I just want to be me, and I’m hopeful that’s good enough.

I’ll tell you a quick story that reshaped my writing style, and honestly, how I think about life:

When I was in college, I skipped most classes until the midterms and finals, and the classes I did attend, I came in a tank top with a gallon of water like your signature jersey shore douchebag. But one class I always looked forward to was Poetry, and one assignment I had was to write a Shakespearean sonnet. It was an exercise of leading a reader through the catacombs of rhythm and dance while misleading the outcome to only have them reread it again.

I spent a week huddled under a tree with my pen and a pad, deep in thought about the world I wanted to live in while I hummed the iambic pentameter of ABABCDCDEFEFGG. (Google it)

I’ll never forget being called into the teachers office and berated for cheating. I think her words were “there’s no way this kid with a fohawk could’ve ever written this”.

I share this because metrics matter, but so does how you feel about what you put out in the world. Everyone is judging you anyway, so block out the haters and judge yourself.

You can be you, but don’t be naive to the game; learn the rules. Just like chess, there are tried and true openings that set you up for success, just like a good hook in content.

But if you don’t get past the opening, you’ll never get to play the middlegame; and that’s the most fun anyway.

So if this resonated, keep sharing no matter who you think is listening. And just remember; “All the world’s a stage” - thanks Uncle William.

→ Every Founder Must Know: Markiplier just proved that "Owned Distribution" is a sledgehammer. Here is why the old Hollywood gatekeepers are officially watching from the parking lot.

→ The Youngest Owner: A 23-year-old NBA All-Star just bought into a MLB franchise. While his peers buy depreciating assets, he’s buying compounding equity.

→ Infrastructure Over Inventory: Night just raised $70M to stop being a talent agency and start being a bank for the creator economy.

Markiplier has 37 million YouTube subscribers and a simple rule: he owns what he builds.

When Hollywood came calling for Iron Lung, his self-written, self-directed, self-financed horror film adapted from a video game he also owns, studios offered distribution deals with one condition. Give up control. He said no to every single one.

That decision just paid out like a slot machine hit with a sledgehammer. Iron Lung opened to $21.7M on a $3M budget.

It outgrossed Jason Statham's new release and an Amazon MGM-backed Melania documentary in the same weekend. It's now tracking toward $50M worldwide. That's a 1,500%+ ROI. Early projections put it as the most profitable film of 2026 on pure return.

He didn't need a studio. A grassroots fan campaign pressured theater chains into booking it. Centurion Film Service handled the logistics. 4,000+ screens. 90% audience approval on Rotten Tomatoes. The old gatekeepers watched from the parking lot.

Why This Matters:

Markiplier said it himself: "If I am not in control of those things, then why did I go this far to fund it, direct it, edit it, if I'm going to hand it off at the very end just to get it in theaters?"

That's not ego. That's cap table math. Every point of control he surrendered would have been a point of upside extracted by someone who took zero creative risk.

This is the old model vs. the new model in one clean case study.

Markiplier's audience didn't just watch the movie. They mobilized theater chains on his behalf. That's not a fan base. That's infrastructure.

The Lesson for Founders:

If your go-to-market still depends on a gatekeeper saying yes, you're one rejected pitch away from zero. Build distribution you own. Partner with Operator-Creators who bring their audience as a hard asset. Not as a soft marketing line item.

OWM exists to connect founders with equity-ready creator partners who have real skin in the game.

Detroit Pistons All-Star Cade Cunningham is only 23, but he’s already thinking like a GP. He just bought a minority stake in the Texas Rangers.

While most athletes at his level are blowing their rookie contracts on custom SUVs and Richard Mille watches, Cade is buying a seat at the table where the actual decisions—and the real money—are made.

He isn't just a fan of his hometown team; he’s a stakeholder.

Most people see a feel-good story about a local kid. I see an operator who understands that talent has a shelf life, but equity compounds while you sleep.

His three-point percentage will fluctuate over the next decade, but his ownership stake in a MLB franchise is a foundational P&L that exists outside of his physical performance.

From the Rangers' perspective, this wasn't about the cash. They didn't need a 23-year-old for liquidity. They brought him in because he brings a deep, active, and local audience that overlaps perfectly with their next generation of season ticket holders.

This is Influence-for-Equity in its purest form.

If a billion-dollar MLB team admits they need an individual's distribution to drive ticket sales, what makes you think your startup brand is enough to survive on its own?

Stop pitching athletes on 30-day endorsement deals. Start pitching them on equity positions where their distribution creates compounding value. When the incentives are aligned, the CAC drops to near zero.

Night (the powerhouse behind MrBeast and Kai Cenat) just closed $70M in fresh funding to transform from a "service" to a "holding company."

CEO Reed Duchscher isn't using this capital to hire more talent managers or lease a bigger office in LA.

The money is earmarked for acquisitions across gaming, sports, and music. Night is effectively rebranding as a venture-style holding company that happens to have the world's best distribution pipes.

The "Middleman Economy" is dying. In the old model, agencies signed 50 creators, took 20% of their brand deals, and prayed their top earner didn't leave. It’s a low-margin services business with zero moat.

Night is executing the new model: use management relationships as a proprietary deal flow engine. They get into deals early, co-own the businesses creators launch, and build a portfolio of equity positions that compound independent of any single creator relationship.

Management is now just the distribution channel for their capital deployment.

If you are building a startup, Night is no longer just a talent shop to avoid; they are a capital partner to pursue.

But they don't want to hear about your "influencer program." They want to hear about your equity-ready partnership.

Show them where their creator relationships create distribution value inside your business, and you’ll get the check and the audience at the same time.

➡️ Follow me on LinkedIn for the unfiltered takes I can't fit in this newsletter.

➡️ Forward this to another founder who's struggling with creator partnerships. Ownership spreads one conversation at a time.

➡️ Need 1:1 guidance? Block time with me any Friday here. No pitches, just real talk.